Nature in Greece | Mountains, lakes, forests, fauna and flora
Morchella esculenta
Morchella esculenta, (commonly known as common morel, morel, yellow morel, true morel, morel mushroom, and sponge morel) is a species of fungus in the Morchellaceae family of the Ascomycota. It is one of the most readily recognized of all the edible mushrooms and highly…
Cichorium intybus – Asteraceae
Greek: αγριοράδικο, πικροράδικο, πικραλίδα Cichorium intybus, is a somewhat woody, perennial herbaceous plant usually with bright blue flowers, rarely white or pink. Cichorium intybus has a long tradition of use globally. Historically, chicory was grown by the ancient Egyptians as a medicinal plant, coffee…
Spring wild asparagus
Greek: άγρια σπαράγγια April is the month to gather asparagus in the Zagori region of the National Park of Pindus, Greece. A walk in the woods of, mostly Quercus coccifera trees, will reward you with the tasty asparagus shoots. Bear in mind that only…
Crabapples
Greek: άγρια μήλα The crab apple was the most important ancestor of the cultivated apple, over 6,000 varieties having been bred over the ages (over two-thirds now extinct). The timber of the crab apple is uniform in texture and if dried slowly, is excellent…
Wild strawberries
Greek: άγριες φράουλες Fragaria vesca, commonly called wild strawberry, woodland strawberry, Alpine strawberry, European strawberry, or fraise des bois, is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows naturally throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere, and that produces edible fruits. It can be found in the…
Urtica urens
Greek: Τσουκνίδα Urtica urens, a herbaceous annual plant species of the genus Urtica that abounds in the mountainous region of Zagori in Northern Greece. It can be found almost everywhere, by the paths, treks, gardens, meadows … Urtica urens, commonly known as annual nettle, dwarf…
Greek mountain oregano
Greek: ρίγανη Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum (Greek oregano) is related to the herb marjoram, oregano also being known as wild marjoram. It is a perennial, although it is grown as an annual in colder climates, as it often does not survive the winter months. It…
Melissa officinalis
Greek: μελισσόχορτο Melissa officinalis (lemon balm), also known as balm or balm mint and not to be confused with bee balm (which is genus Monarda), is a perennial herb in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to center-southern Europe and the Mediterranean region. It is…
Rose hips
Greek: άγρια τριαντάφυλλα Among the most sought after forest fruit, such as blackberries, cornus mas and wild strawberries, that the forests of the National Park of Vikos-Aoos produce are the rose hips which abound in the area of Zagori. Rose hips are particularly high…
Fall mushrooms
The National Parks of Pindus and Vikos-Aoos in North-Western Greece attract a lot of visitors every year that come to the area in search of fungi aka mushrooms. Every summer and fall, when the climate is ideal with small variations of temperature between day and…
